2013 Press Releases
Oscar-winner Puttnam to deliver public lecture
UCC announces Oscar-winner Lord David Puttnam as Adjunct Professor of Film Studies and Digital Humanities, marked by a free public lecture on Thursday 23 May.
Chariots of Fire, Midnight Express, Bugsy Malone … if these names conjure up fond memories of compelling viewing, you won’t want to miss out on hearing from a man instrumental in their making.
Lord David Puttnam, Chancellor of the Open University and former movie producer will deliver a keynote public lecture to mark his appointment as Adjunct Professor of Film Studies and Digital Humanities at UCC. The free public lecture will be held this Thursday 23 May at 6p.m. in Boole 4, UCC. The lecture will cover film and screen media in the digital age.
Lord Puttnam will continue his association with UCC by delivering a module on his experiences in the film industry to postgraduate students in Film Studies and Digital Humanities in November 2013. The module breaks new ground as it will be delivered by interactive seminars streamed live from Lord Puttnam’s studio in Skibbereen, as well as on campus lectures.
UCC will also roll out a new BA in Film and Screen Media in September 2013. Led by internationally recognised experts, and with a thriving visiting speakers and guest practitioners component, the BA in Film and Screen Media will immerse students in the history of filmmaking through the study of films from around the world, from the birth of cinema to the age of the Internet.
The BA is unique in its combination of film studies and screen media (internet, mobile social media, computer games), and practical modules and workshops in digital filmmaking and writing for the screen. During the course of the three-year programme, students will have the opportunity to study with a filmmaker in residence and a screenwriter in residence. To date, there has been strong interest in the BA, with high levels of applications received by the CAO.
Lord Puttnam’s extraordinary career covers a remarkable range of experience in practical work in visual media, and in fields of education and public policy. Thirty years as a producer have garnered an enviable range of award-winning films, including The Mission, The Killing Fields, Local Hero, Chariots of Fire, Midnight Express, Bugsy Malone, Memphis Belle, and War of the Buttons (filmed in West Cork). His films have won international acclaim with ten Oscars, twenty-five BAFTAs and the Palme D'Or at Cannes.
In 1998, Lord Puttnam retired from film production to focus on his work in public policy as it relates to education, the environment, and the creative and communications industries. In 1998 he founded the National Teaching Awards, which he chaired until 2008. He also served as the first Chair of the General Teaching Council in Britain from 2000 to 2002. From July 2002 to July 2009 he was president of UNICEF UK, playing a key role in promoting UNICEF’s key advocacy and awareness objectives.
Lord Puttnam has been closely involved in education over the years and currently holds the position of Chancellor of the Open University. As chairman of Atticus Education, an online education company based in West Cork, he delivers interactive seminars on film and a variety of other subjects to educational institutions around the world. He was recently appointed Ireland’s Digital Ambassador, underlining his on-going input into the education and digital sectors in Ireland, the UK and Europe.
It is Lord Puttnam’s combined interest in political activism (such as work on the environment and with UNICEF), his creative involvement in film and digital media, and his passion for advocating the huge importance of education for society, that have made his contribution to Film Studies and Digital Media at UCC so significant.
For further details, please contact Virginia Teehan, Cultural Programmes and Research Support, College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences, UCC on Tel: 353 21 4205162 or Email: v.teehan@ucc.ie
For more information on the BA in Film and Screen Media, see www.ucc.ie/en/filmstudies/ba